1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a projection device with a replaceable color wheel; in particular, it relates to a color wheel module which is detachably disposed inside a projection device.
2. Descriptions of the Related Art
Various types of projectors, such as digital light processing (DLP), liquid crystal display (LCD) and liquid crystal on silicon (LCOS), have been developed over recent years to cater to different customers. Now referring to the DLP projector as an demonstrative example, the DLP projector uses a micro electro mechanical system (MEMS), which employs a digital micromirror device (DMD) created by the Texas Instruments (TI) company. Generally speaking, the imaging principle of a DLP projector is as follows: (1) light projects from a light source, (2) a color wheel separates the color into green, blue, and red, (3) a light tunnel integrates the separated lights, (4) the DMD processes the lights and input signals of the images to drive the micro mirrors of the DMD, and (5) a lens receives the light and images from the DMD and projects a visible image onto a screen after a final image treatment. Compared to other types of projectors, the DLP has a high quality of brightness, color reproduction and contrast. The DLP also minimizes the volume of the projector.
Because image quality performance of DLP projectors is important, manufacturers have focused more on the research and development of DLP projectors to further promote the capabilities of the DLP projectors.
Generally, conference rooms require projectors with high brightness and large screens. Therefore, a color wheel with four color sectors (red, green, blue and white) is needed for the conference room. A color wheel with only the red, green and blue sector will offer a quality to reinforce color contrast, saturation and fidelity for home theater. However, in the current market, none of the projectors provides users the ability to change the color wheel of the projector themselves. Any replacement or maintenance of a color wheel must be sent back to the dealer. Furthermore, for technicians, detaching the color wheel from a projector during repair and maintenance requires complicated procedures, resulting in overall inconvenience for both users and technicians.
Because maintenance or replacement of products should be convenient for the end users and technicians, user-friendly products are very important to designers. Since projection devices are costly, customers are often limited to the purchase of a product without a replaceable color wheel. Therefore, a design that not only allows users to change the color wheels under different circumstances, but also allows technicians to conveniently clean, repair or replace the color wheel, is desired.